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lY.     THE    BOOK    OF    ESTHER. 

The  various  literary  and  ethical  and  religious  characteristics  of 
the  Book  of  Esther,  and  the  history  of  opinions  regarding  it,  in 
the  Jewish  and  in  the  Christian  chnrch,  give  it,  in  some  respects 
at  least,  a  position  quite  unique,  and  accordingly  invite  our  study. 

The  story  of  the  book  is,  briefly,  as  follows :  The  Persian  king, 
Ahasuerus,  makes  a  magnificent  feast,  first  for  all  his  princes  and 
nobles,  and  then  for  all  the  inhabitants  of  Susa.  The  king  orders 
Yasliti,  the  queen,  to  appear  in  public.  She  refuses,  and  is  de- 
posed from  her  position  as  queen.  It  being  necessary  to  choose  a 
new  queen,  fair  young  virgins  are  brought  in  from  all  parts  of 
the  empire,  that  from  them  the  king  may  make  his  choice.  The 
result  is,  that  Esther,  a  beautiful  Jewish  maiden,  the  adopted 
daughter  of  Mordecai,  is  cliosen.  Mordecai  subsequently  reveals 
a  conspiracy  against  the  king,  and  thus  saves  the  king's  life.  He 
refuses,  moreover,  to  give  the  customary  obeisance  to  Haman, 
the  king's  favorite.  Haman,  in  revenge,  plots  to  slay  the  whole 
Jewish  race  throughout  the  empire.  Having  been  obliged  by  the 
command  of  the  king  to  be  an  involuntary  instrument  in  confer- 
ring high  honor  upon  Mordecai,  his  passion  of  revenge  becomes 
still  deeper.  Esther,  however,  skilfully  using  her  charms  and 
power  as  the  king's  favorite,  obtains  what  is  virtually  a  complete 
reversal  of  the  destructive  decree.  Haman  is  hanged  upon  the 
gallows  which  he  had  prepared  for  Mordecai.  The  Jews,  under 
the  encouragement  of  a  royal  decree,  fall  upon  their  enemies,  and 
blay  them.  The  festival  of  Purim  is  instituted  to  commemorate 
this  glorious  deliverance. 

The  literary  art  with  which  the  story  is  told  is  very  apparent. 
It  is  manifest  both  in  the  skill  with  which  the  characters  of  the 
chief  dramatis persoiice  are  drawn,  and  in  the  conduct  and  devel- 
opment of  the  action  or  narrative. 

Ahasuerus  (in  profane  history  known  as  Xerxes,  485-4:65  B. 
C,  the  invader  of  Greece,  480  B.  C.)  is  the  typical  capricious,  ir- 
responsible, sensual,  oriental  despot.  The  way  in  which  he  exalts 
26 


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/\oe.\    W  •  r\\A\-z.\t\QCA 


lY.     THE    BOOK    OF    ESTHER. 

The  various  literary  and  ethical  and  religious  characteristics  of 
the  Book  of  Esther,  and  the  history  of  opinions  regarding  it,  in 
the  Jewish  and  in  the  Christian  church,  give  it,  in  some  respects 
at  least,  a  position  quite  unique,  and  accordingly  invite  our  study. 

The  story  of  the  hook  is,  hriefly,  as  follows :  The  Persian  king, 
Ahasuerus,  makes  a  magnificent  feast,  first  for  all  his  princes  and 
nobles,  and  then  for  all  the  inhabitants  of  Susa.  The  king  orders 
Yashti,  the  queen,  to  appear  in  public.  She  refuses,  and  is  de- 
posed from  her  position  as  queen.  It  being  necessary  to  choose  a 
new  queen,  fair  young  virgins  are  brought  in  from  all  parts  of 
the  empire,  that  from  them  the  king  may  make  his  choice.  The 
result  is,  that  Esther,  a  beautiful  Jewish  maiden,  the  adopted 
daughter  of  Mordecai,  is  cliosen.  Mordecai  subsequently  reveals 
a  conspiracy  against  the  king,  and  thus  saves  the  king's  life.  He 
refuses,  moreover,  to  give  the  customary  obeisance  to  Haman, 
the  king's  favorite.  Haman,  in  revenge,  plots  to  slay  the  whole 
Jewish  race  throughout  the  empire.  Having  been  obliged  by  the 
command  of  the  king  to  be  an  involuntary  instrument  in  confer- 
ring high  honor  upon  Mordecai,  his  passion  of  revenge  becomes 
still  deeper.  Esther,  however,  skilfully  using  her  charms  and 
power  as  the  king's  favorite,  obtains  what  is  virtually  a  complete 
reversal  of  the  destructive  decree.  Haman  is  hanged  upon  the 
gallows  which  he  had  prepared  for  Mordecai.  The  Jews,  under 
the  encouragement  of  a  royal  decree,  fall  upon  their  enemies,  and 
blay  them.  The  festival  of  Puritn  is  instituted  to  commemorate 
this  glorious  deliverance. 

The  literary  art  with  which  the  story  is  told  is  very  apparent. 
It  is  manifest  both  in  the  skill  with  which  the  characters  of  tlie 
chief  drainatis personcB  are  drawn,  and  in  the  conduct  and  devel- 
opment of  the  action  or  narrative. 

Ahasuerus  (in  profane  history  known  as  Xerxes,  485-465  B. 
C,  the  invader  of  Greece,  480  B.  C.)  is  the  typical  capricious,  ir- 
responsible, sensual,  oriental  despot.  The  way  in  which  he  exalts 
26 


J 


396  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

and  puts  down  favorites,  indulges  his  appetites,  yields  to  the 
charms  of  a  woman,  and  permits  or  instigates  extensive  slaughter 
among  his  people,  is  thoroughly  in  keeping  with  the  character  of 
such  sovereigns  in  general,  and  with  what  we  know,  from  other 
sources,  of  this  monarch  in  particular.  (Df.  Herodotus,  vii.  35, 
37;  ix.  107  et  seq.;  Strabo,  xiv.  63i.) 

Haman  is  a  satanic  mixture  of  ambition,  revenge,  hatred,  and 
cruelty.  First,  clever,  cool,  and  calculating,  he  is,  later  on,  car- 
ried away  by  tlie  vehemence  of  his  passion.  Not  one  man  alone, 
but  a  whole  people  or  race,  is  needed  to  satiate  his  wrath. 

Mordecai  is  a  remarkable  character.  lie  is  representative  of  a 
class  for  which  the  Jewish  race  is  famous,  of  which  Joseph  and 
Daniel  are  examples  in  ancient,  and  Lord  Beaconsfield  in  modern 
times,  all  men  who,  from  the  humblest  beginnings,  have  won  for 
tliemselves  distinction  and  honor  and  power  at  a  foreign  court. 

Read  between  the  lines  in  this  story  of  Mordecai,  and  you  will 
see,  moreover,  a  number  of  characteristics  which  are  often  com- 
bined in  the  representatives  of  his  race :  A  tender  family  feeling, 
and  the  cultivation  of  a  pure,  affectionate  home  life ;  an  exalted 
personal  piety  of  the  grim,  stern.  Old  Testament  sort;  high,  calm, 
and  strong  and  strength-giving  faith  in  God,  and  faith  in  the  mis- 
sion and  destiny  of  his  people  as  assured  in  the  purposes  of  God ; 
a  passionate  and  perfectly  unbending  devotion  to  the  religious 
principles  and  traditions  of  tlie  fathers;  and  withal  shrewdness 
and  ability  of  the  highest  order  in  his  dealings  with  men  at  large, 
and  in  the  management  of  worldly  affairs.  Truly,  he  is  a  grand 
character. 

Esther,  finally,  full  of  grace  and  charm  and  courtesy,  knows 
how  to  use  her  charms  to  the  best  advantage;  with  some  natural 
misgivings  at  the  start  as  to  the  result  of  her  undertaking,  but 
gathering  strength,  decision,  and  passion  as  she  proceeds,  slie 
shows  herself  a  true  daughter  of  her  people. 

The  way,  moreover,  in  which  the  plot  (if  we  may  so  call  it)  of 
the  story,  the  development,  and  the  denouement,  are  brought  out, 
and  the  way  in  which  the  interest  of  the  reader  is  sustained 
through  all  tlie  changing  scenes,  in  the  use  of  fear,  suspense,  cli- 
max, solution,  and  satisfaction,  are  masterful.     The  story  opens 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  397 

with  a  vivid  description  of  oriental  magnificence  and  splendor. 
The  power  of  contrast  is  used  most  effectively  in  describing  the 
humble  Jewish  maiden  elevated  to  nearly  the  loftiest  position  in 
the  empire,  on  the  one  hand,  and  in  the  exaltation  and  subsequent 
degradation  of  Haman,  on  the  other  liand.  The  adherence  of 
Mordecai  to  the  religious  scruples  of  his  fathers  threatens  to  in- 
volve his  whole  race  in  the  direst  calamity.  At  the  very  last  mo- 
ment, when  all  seems  to  be  lost,  deliverance  is  wrought  through 
an  apparently  most  trivial  circumstance,  a  wakeful  night  of  the 
king.  The  deliverance  is  as  complete  and  absolute  as  it  is  unex- 
pected. The  claims  of  the  Jews  to  be  the  peculiar  favorites  of 
God,  the  chosen  nation,  the  objects  of  his  most  fostering  care, 
with  a  lofty  mission  for  all  ages  and  for  all  nations,  are  once  more 
fully  vindicated.  The  destruction  destined  for  them  is  turned 
upon  their  enemies.  God's  people  are  delivered.  Human  pas- 
sions are  controlled.  Wicked  designs  are  frustrated.  The  sinners 
are  punished.  Haman  himself,  the  arch-instigator  of  the  purposed 
destruction,  is  hanged  upon  the  very  same,  gallows  which  he  had 
prepared  with  special  care  for  Mordecai  as  the  chief  object  of  his 
wrath.  This  but  caps  the  climax  of  the  series  of  events  in  which 
previously  he  had  served  as  the  unwilling,  but  helpless  and  effici- 
ent agent  in  Mordecai's  exaltation. 

Remember,  moreover,  that  Mordecai  was  of  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin, a  descendant  of  the  family  of  Saul,  the  first  king  of  Israel, 
and  that  Haman,  the  Agagite,  was  doubtless  a  representative  of 
the  royal  line  of  Agag,  the  king  of  Amalek  against  whom  Saul 
waged  a  fierce,  but  somewhat  incomplete,  warfare,  and  you  will 
see  here  another,  and  a  most  effective,  characteristic  touch.  Saul 
evidently  did  not  go  far  enough  in  his  slaughter  of  Agag  and  the 
Araalekites.  The  descendants  of  some  royal  scion  of  that  tribe, 
spared  by  him,  many  centuries  after  come  within  an  ace  of  de- 
stroying the  whole  Jewish  race.  That  omission  of  Saul,  that  lack 
of  thoroughness  on  his  part,  severely  rebuked  as  it  was  at  the 
time  by  Samuel,  comes  to  cost  them  dear.  At  the  critical  mo- 
ment, however.  Providence  interposes.  Mordecai,  the  fellow- 
clansman  of  Saul,  in  procuring  the  destruction  of  Haman,  the 
Agagite,  finishes  the  work  which  Saul  had  left  unfinished. 


398  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

The  2;enealogical  and  family  records  must  be  fully  and  accu- 
rately kept.  The  family  and  tribal  feeling  must  make  its  influ- 
ence predominant  in  every  department  of  life,  even  in  religion. 
The  family  is  a  unit,  extending  latitudinally,  so  to  speak,  and 
embracing  every  living  member  of  the  clan  or  race;  and  longi- 
tudinally, reaching  backward  and  forward,  it  binds  the  past,  the 
present,  and  the  future  in  a  mysterious  bond.  The  sins  of  the 
fathers  are  charged  against  them  with  unerring  accuracy,  and 
visited  upon  the  children.  Circumstances  which  seem  trivial  at 
the  time  will  vitally  affect  the  history  and  course  of  events  many 
centuries  later.  These  are  some  of  the  latent  ideas,  some  of  the 
subterranean  currents  of  thought,  as  we  may  term  them,  ob- 
scurely present  in  this  Book  of  Esther. 

There  are  a  few  obvious  facts  in  connection  with  the  Book  of 
Esther,  which  are  of  such  a  kind  as  to  suggest  and  induce  a  closer 
study  of  its  phenomena.  These  facts  are  as  follows:  The  name 
of  God  is  not  once  mentioned  in  it.  It  is  nowhere  quoted  or  re- 
ferred to  in  the  New  Testament.  Many  have  questioned  its  right 
to  a  place  in  the  canon,  the  voice  of  tradition  not  seeming  to  be 
absolutely  unanimous.  In  modern  times  its  tone  and  spirit  have 
been  severely  criticised  on  ethical  grounds,  and  doubts  have  been 
thrown  on  its  historical  accuracy  and  the  trustworthiness  of  its 
statements  in  several  particulars. 

We  may,  accordingly,  frame  our  statement  of  the  critical  prob- 
lems of  the  Book  of  Esther  as  follows:  What  are  the  religious 
and  theological  conceptions  of  this  book  ?  What  is  its  place  in 
the  history  of  revelation,  and  in  the  history  of  the  development 
of  God's  kingdom  upon  earth?  What  is  its  place  in  the  canon, 
and  how  can  that  place  be  vindicated  ?  What  can  be  said  as  to 
its  historical  accuracy,  in  the  light  of  recent  criticisms  upon  that 
accuracy  ? 

Although  the  name  of  God  is  not  mentioned  in  this  book,  and 
although  it  is  nowhere  quoted  by  Christ  or  the  apostles,  yet  its 
high  religious  and  spiritual  tone  and  purpose  and  aim  are  strik- 
ingly manifest. 

Two  explanations  have  been  given  of  the  omission  of  the  name 
of  God.     One  is,  that  it  was  the  result  of  a  fear,  especially  preva- 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  399 

lent  in  later  Jewish  times,  that  the  sacred  name  of  God  might  be 
profaned  by  too  frequent  use,  by  any  use  except  that  in  the  most 
solemn  religious  services,  and  especially  by  its  use  in  Gentile 
mouths,  as  this  book  from  tlie  nature  of  its  contents  might  be 
supposed  to  find  frequent  Gentile  readers.  Another  reason 
assigned  is  that  it  was  desired  that  the  festival  of  the  Purim,  of 
the  occasion  and  institution  of  which  this  book  gives  an  account, 
and  at  whicli  it  was  destined  to  be  read,  was  desired  to  be  as 
joyful,  light-hearted,  and  hilarious  as  possible,  and  hence  the  too 
great  solemnity  connected  with  the  name  of  God  was  to  be 
avoided.  Both  of  these  explanations  are  inadequate.  We  shall 
see  subsequently  that  the  omission  of  the  name  of  God  must  be 
explained  on  other"" grounds. 

Plowever  this  may  be,  the  whole  book,  as  already  noted  in  the 
description  of  the  character  of  Mordecai,  is  intensely  religious. 
But  the  religiousness  and  piety  are  of  the  Old  Testament  lofty, 
but  narrow,  national  and  particular  character.  It  is  the  piety 
which  regards  the  nation,  the  Jewish  race,  as  the  special  and  pecu- 
liar favorite  of  heaven.  God  watches  over  them  with  the  most 
intense,  and  minute,  and  loving  care.  It  is  the  piety  that  ex- 
presses itself  in  the  words  of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-seventh 
Psalm:  "O  daughter  of  Babylon,  who  art  to  be  destroyed;  happy 
shall  he  be,  that  rewardeth  thee  as  thou  hast  served  us.  Happy 
shall  he  be,  that  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones  against  the 
stones."  We  are  ready  to  concede  that  there  are  limitations  in 
piety  of  this  sort  when  considered  from  a  modern.  New  Testa- 
ment, Christian  point  of  view,  but  we  are  not  ready  to  concede 
that  such  limitations  are  incompatible  with  a  true  and  real  posses- 
sion of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  or  with  the  rightfulness  of  the 
place  of  such  a  piety  in  the  historical  development  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  upon  earth.  If  only  the  historical  situation,  the 
necessary  individual  and  racial  limitations,  and  the  law  of  devel- 
opment are  kept  in  view,  all  becomes  plain. 

The  religious  and  theological  conceptions  of  the  book,  and  its 
place  in  the  history  of  revelation,  will  become  further  m.anifest  if 
we  consider  the  aim  and  purpose  of  its  composition,  and  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  events  which  it  records. 


400  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

The  aim  of  the  book  is  simply  and  obviously  that  of  recording 
and  publishing  and  preserving  the  memory  of  the  wonderful 
deliverance  which  God  wrought  for  his  people.  This  knowledge 
must  serve  to  keep  alive  the  traditions  of  the  nation.  It  will 
deepen  and  strengthen  the  confidence  ofthe  people  in  God,  and 
in  their  own  future  as  assured  in  the  purposes  of  God.  At  any 
future  time  when  the  might  of  the  oppressor  waxes  wanton 
against  the  despised,  oppressed  Jews,  whether  it  be  the  might  of 
Spain  in  the  fifteenth,  or  the  might  of  Russia  in  the  nineteenth, 
century,  then  the  memory  of  this  deliverance  from  the  wrath  of 
Haman  will  serve  to  cheer  and  to  sustain. 

But  there  is  a  peculiarity  about  this  deliverance  which  must 
still  be  noted,  and  which  is  of  the  highest  importance.  It  is  not 
like  the  deliverance  under  Moses  from  the  tyranny  of  Pharaoh,  or 
the  deliverance  under  Hezekiah  and  Isaiah  from  the  army  of 
Sennacherib,  or  even  like  the  restoration  under  Zerubbabel  from 
the  Babylonian  exile.  All  these  deliverances  had  been  foretold 
and  mediated  and  brought  about  by  or  in  connection  with  pro- 
phetic activity.  Yes,  we  may  say  that  God  in  a  manner  spoke  to 
the  people  and  visibly  wrought  salvation  out  of  heaven  in  their 
presence.  Thus  the  restoration  under  Cyrus  had  been  distinctly 
foretold  by  both  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah.  And  in  the  royal  procla- 
mation, issued  no  doubt  under  the  influence  of  instruction  received 
from  those  who  were  familiar  with  these  prophecies,  Cyrus  says: 
"  The  Lord  God  of  heaven  hatli  charged  me  to  build  him  a  house 
at  Jerusalem."  But  in  the  deliverance  under  Mordecai  and  Esther 
there  is  no  prophet  of  the  Lord.  There  is  no  visible  or  audible 
sign  whatever  that  the  Lord  is  working  for  his  people.  His  voice 
is  not  heard.  His  eye  is  not  seen.  His  hand  is  concealed.  In 
so  far  the  work  of  deliverance  is  entirely  on  a  level  with  all  the 
ordinary  administration  of  his  providence.  Yet  the  deliverance  is 
most  signal.  There  could  be  no  mistake  about  it.  It  was  cer- 
tainly from  the  Lord. 

Now,  what  was  the  significance  of  all  this?  Remember  the 
circumstances  of  the  time  and  you  will  see.  Prophetic  activity 
was  about  to  cease  from  Israel.  So  far  as  Judaism,  as  a  distinct 
development,  and  henceforth  destined  to  move  on  in  its  own  sepa- 


/" 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  401 

rate  channel,  was  concerned,  it  was  about  to  cease  forever.  The 
prophetic  activity  of  Christ  and  the  apostles  belongs  to  a  new  and 
distinct  era.  In  such  a  juncture  the  pious  people, — those  of  them 
who  realized  the  situation,  and  no  doubt  some  of  them  did, — 
must  have  felt  as  though  they  were  embarking  on  an  unknown 
sea,  without  compass,  rudder,  or  helmsman.  At  this  critical 
juncture  God  accomplishes  a  wonderful  deliverance  for  his  people 
without  the  intervention  of  anj^  prophet,  simply  in  the  ordi- 
nary ruling  and  guiding  of  his  providence.  That  signal,  un- 
mistakable lesson  must  be  recorded  that  it  may  teach  the  nation, 
the  race,  for  all  time  to  come,  that,  even  though  no  prophet  speaks 
to  them,  still  God  himself  watches  over  them  and  will  keep  them 
safe.  Hence  this"'  history  was  committed  to  writing.  Hence  it 
was  given  a  place  in  the  sacred  canon. 

We  find,  then,  in  this  book  something  more  than  a  general  ex- 
hibition and  proof  of  an  all-ruling  providence.  It  teaches  a  spe- 
cial lesson  to  Judaism,  namely,  that  God  continues  his  care  over 
the  chosen  people  even  after  the  dispensation  of  prophets  has 
ceased.  It  teaches  that  this  protection  is  thenceforth  to  be  ad- 
ministered by  an  unseen  hand,  apart  from  the  ministration  of 
prophets,  apart  from  specific  revelations,  visions,  and  miracles, 
simply  in  the  ordinary  course  of  Divine  providence.  And  this 
abstraction,  elimination,  or  withdrawing  of  all  prophetic  elements 
from  the  history  of  these  events  is  carried  so  far,  that  even  the 
name  of  God  is  not  mentioned.  God  is  left  to  be  present  by  un- 
mistakable inference  rather  than  by  explicit  mention. 

A  mother  who  teaches  her  child  to  walk  will  first  support  the 
child  by  her  hand.  The  time  comes,  however,  when  the  child 
must  take  the  first  few  steps  alone.  The  hand  of  the  mother  is 
still  there,  even  though  it  is  not  felt. 

A  student  of  art  who  has  made  himself  familiar  with  the  style 
of  a  certain  painter  by  studying  the  pictures  which  he  knows  to 
have  been  painted  by  that  artist,  will  find  it  a  good  test  of  his 
proficiency  as  an  art-critic,  if,  when  confronted  by  an  unmarked 
production  of  the  same  artist,  he  is,  nevertheless,  able  to  assign  it 
as  his  work. 

So  God  wislies  the  Jews  to  recognize  the  work  of  his  provi- 


402  THE  PKE8BYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

dence,  even    though    no    prophet   speaks    in    the    name    of    the 
Lord. 

This  lesson,  moreover,  was  intended  directly  and  primarily  for 
Judaism,  as  henceforth  to  constitute  a  distinct  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  development  of  God's  kingdoiS~upon  earth.  For  with 
all  their  sliort-coraings,  with  all  their  fearful  sins,  the  Jews  have 
never  ceased  to  be  part  of  that  kingdom.  The  promises  unto  the 
fathers,  the  covenant  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  have  never 
been  annulled.  And  this  lesson,  as  intended  primarily  for  Juda- 
ism, bears  only  indirectly  and  inferentially  upon  Christianity. 
Hence  it  is  that  this  book  is  nowhere  quoted  or  referred  to  in  the 
New  Testament.  There  was  no  occasion  to  quote  it.  It  con- 
tained no  type,  no  immediate  application,  no  prophecy  for  Chris- 
tianity. But  Judaism  is  to  draw  instruction,  strength,  and  con- 
solation from  this  book.  For  a  high  and  far-reaching  purpose, 
God  has  spared,  and  is  now  sparing,  the  Jews.  That  purpose  is 
still  in  the  future.  The  deliverance  under  Mordecai  is  only  the 
first  and  most  typical  of  a  series  of  deliverances,  extending  all 
through  subsequent  history.  Again  and  again  has  this  strange 
people  been  brought  to  the  very  brink  of  destruction.  Again  and 
again  it  has  been  rescued  from  this  destruction  by  the  unseen 
hand  of  God.  And  still  this  history  is  going  on.  And  it  will  go 
on  until  the  purposes  of  God  are  accomplished,  "until  the  fulness 
of  the  Geiitiles  be  come  in,  and  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved." 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  my  subject,  namely,  the  religious 
and  theological  conceptions  of  this  book,  and  its  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  development  of  God's  kingdom  upon  earth,  I  may  re- 
mark that  this  book,  in  the  respects  now  under  consideration,  sus- 
tains peculiar  relations  to  two  other  books  of  the  Old  Testament, 
namely,  the  Book  of  Jonah  and  the  Book  of  Job.  We  may  say 
that,  in  one  respect,  it  is  the  antipode  to  the  Book  of  Jonah ;  in 
another  respect,  to  the  Book  of  Job. 

The  Book  of  Jonali  represents  the  prophet  of  the  Lord  as  go- 
ing forth,  much  against  his  will,  but  under  the  direction  of  Jeho- 
vah, on  the  first  and  only  foreign  missionary  expedition  recorded 
in  the  Old  Testament.  At  a  time  when  Israel  herself  was  repeat- 
edly falling  into  apostasy,  and  refusing  to  listen  to  the  prophets 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  403 

of  the  Lord,  God  seemed  to  wish,  humanly  and  reverently  speak- 
ing, to  shame  them  into  submission  and  obedience  by  showing 
them  how  a  foreign,  heathen  nation,  with  none  of  the  Israelites' 
marvellous  advantages,  was,  nevertheless,  ready  to  yield,  and  to 
yield  at  once  and  thoroughly,  to  the  first  distinct  effort  that  was 
made  to  convince  them  of  their  sins,  and  to  remind  them  of  their 
impending  judgment  if  these  sins  were  continued.  If  the  Ninev- 
ites  repented  in  sackcloth  and  aslies,  under  the  preaching  of  one 
prophet,  continued  for  only  a  short  time,  how  much  the  more 
ought  Israel  to  repent  and  to  obey  tlie  voice  of  the  Lord,  to  whom 
the  Lord  had  sent,  many  prophets  during  a  long  succession  of 
ages  ? 

Moreover,  in  the- Book  of  Jonali,  the  horizon  is  widened.  Is- 
rael, as  typified  in  the  prophet,  is  seen  in  her  true  light,  as  the 
great  conserver  of  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the  one  true 
God,  the  religious  teacher  of  the  nations.  The  nations,  as  typified 
in  Nineveh,  are  represented  as  learning  their  lesson  from  Israel. 
That  is  one  aspect  of  the  relation  of  Israel  and  the  nations. 

The  other  and  opposite  aspect  is  presented  in  the  Book  of  Es- 
ther. The  nations  combine  in  liostile  fury  against  the  Israelites, 
or  Jews,  and  aim  to  oppress  and  destroy  them.  God,  however, 
interposes,  and  rescues  them. 

Both  of  these  aspects,  these  two  opposite  poles,  as  we  may  call 
them,  liave  l)een  presented  again  and  again  in  subsequent  times. 
The  relation  of  the  Jews  to  the  other  nations  and  races  of  the 
world  is  the  standing  enigma  and  paradox  of  history.  The  na- 
tions owe  a  debt  to  the  Jews  which  they  can  never  repay.  We 
have  learnt  from  them,  humanly  speaking,  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  God,  and  our  i-clations  to  him.  We  have  learnt  from  them 
the  divine  moral  and  spiritual  ideals  of  holiness  and  righteousness 
of  character.  Yet  this  knowledge  has  been  most  unwillingly  im- 
parted, just  as  Jonah  was  unwilling  to  go  on  his  mission.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  history  of  the  relation  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  has 
been  one  long  chapter  of  outrages,  persecutions,  extortions,  and 
massacres,  compared  with  which  the  ferocity  of  Ilaman,  the 
Agagite,  seems  kind. 

Israel  as  the  recipient  of  a  divine  revelation,  the  ethical  and 


404  THE  PKESBYTERIAN  QrARTERLY. 

spiritual  and  religious  teacher  of  mankind — such  is  the  lesson  of 
the  Book  of  Jonah.  The  Jew  hated  and  despised,  and  persecuted 
and  cruelly  maltreated  at  the  hands  of  those  Gentiles  who  owe  to 
him  their  moral  and  spiritual  light;  the  Jew  constantly  rescued 
from  dire  destruction  only  by  the  direct  iirterposition  of  an  unseen, 
but  special,  providence — this  is  the  picture  presented  to  us  in  the 
Book  of  Esther.  The  two  books  are  complementary.  Together 
they  give  us  a  complete  prefigurement  and  anticipation  of  the 
career  of  the  Jewish  race. 

From  another  point  of  view  the  Book  of  Esther  touches  vitally, 
but,  in  a  sense,  antithetically,  the  Book  of  Job.  The  Book  of  Job 
presents  an  extreme  example  of  the  divine  permission  of  evil  to 
fall  upon  the  pious,  either  from  Satan  or  from  satanic  men.  Such 
permission  may  take  place  for  good  and  sufHcient  reasons,  and 
without  infringing  in  the  least  upon  the  divine  power  and  justice 
and  lovingkindness,  and  without  affecting  the  true  and  highest 
welfare  of  those  who  suffer  such  evils. 

In  the  Book  of  Esther,  on  the  other  hand,  the  calamity  is  im- 
pending, but  it  is  not  allowed  to  be  executed.  God  shows  that  he 
can,  if  need  be,  if  in  his  wisdom  he  thinks  best,  arrest  and  frus- 
trate the  designs  of  the  wicked  against  his  children,  even  when 
they  are  on  the  eve  of  accomplishment. 

For  our  part,  we  are  glad  that  both  these  sides  of  the  provi- 
dence of  God  are  presented  in  Scripture. 

We  must  now  briefly  survey  the  testimony  of  the  church  as  to 
the  place  of  the  Book  of  Esther  in  the  canon,  before  passing  on 
to  the  last  division  of  our  subject,  tlie  consideration  of  modern  at- 
tacks and  criticisms  that  have  been  made  upon  it. 

In  the  Septuagint  translation,  the  Book  of  Esther  appears  with 
sundry  additions  which  do  not  add  to  its  value.  Philo  does  not 
quote  it  in  his  acknowledged  writings,  but  that  counts  nothing 
against  it,  for  neither  does  he  quote  Nehemiah,  Ruth,  Chronicles, 
Ezekiel,  Lamentations,  Daniel,  Ecclesiastes,  or  Canticles. 

In  the  New  Testament  it  is  not  quoted,  but  this  has  already 
been  explained.  Josephus  makes  use  of  the  book,  and  retells  the 
whole  story  in  his  own  way. 

There  are  some  who  maintain  that  the  canonicity  of  the  Book 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  405 

of  Esther  was  disputed  in  the  time  of  onr  Lord,  but  others,  more 
rightly,  refer  the  traditions  solely  to  opposition  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  new  feast.  Mention  will  be  made  of  this  further  on  in 
the  course  of  this  paper.  But  at  any  rate,  whatever  opposition 
there  may  have  been  to  it  at  one  time,  ultimately  it  was  received 
as  canonical.  The  Talmi>dic  passages  quoted  as  bearing  on  this 
matter  are:  Jerusalem  Talmud,  Megillith  Ixx.  4;  compare  Mid- 
rash,  Ruth,  xlv.  3 ;  Megilla  7".  Maimonides  is  reported  to  have 
said  that  in  the  time  of  the  Messiah  all  the  sacred  writings  would 
perish,  except  the  Torah  and  Esther. 

In  the  accepted  Jewish  canon  it  has,  at  present,  a  place  in  the 
third  division,  the  Writings  {tJie  Kethubiia,  Hagiograjjha).  It 
is  one  of  the  five  Megilloth,  or  rolls,  which  are  read  publicly  at 
certain  sacred  seasons,  the  "  Song  of  Songs  "  at  Passover,  "  Ruth  " 
at  Pentecost,  "Lamentations"  on  the  9th  of  Ab  (the  day  on 
which  Jerusalem  was  destroyed),  " Ecclesiastes "  at  the  feast  of 
the  Tabernacles,  '*  Esther  "  at  the  feast  of  the  Purim. 

We  need  not  be  disturbed  by  the  fact,  that,  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment church,  occasional  doubts  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  canon- 
icity  of  the  Book  of  Esther.  Thus  Melito  of  Sardis  (see  Eusebius, 
Hist.  Eccl.  iv.  26)  omits  to  mention  it  in  his  account  of  the 
canon.  This  may  have  been  purely  accidental.  Athanasius 
seems  to  reckon  it  among  the  deutero-canonical  or  apocryphal 
writings  of  the  Old  Testament  (see  Athanasius,  in  Nicene  and  Post 
Nicene  Fathers,  American  Ed.,  Vol.  lY.,  p.  552).  Luther  had  a 
strong  feeling  against  it,  but  this  was  pure  subjective  criticism. 

The  character  of  the  book,  as  containing  a  lesson  specifically 
for  Judaism,  made  it  liable  to  be  misunderstood  in  Christian 
circles.  The  judgment  of  the  church  at  large,  however,  as  voiced 
in  the  favorable  testimony  of  Josephus,  Cyrill,  Origen,  and 
Augustine,  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  Epiphanius,  and  Jerome, 
has  received  it  as  canonical.  Such  testimony  easily  outweighs 
the  unfavorable  testimony  of  Gregory  of  Nazianzum,  Melito, 
Junilius,  Leontius,  and  Nicephorus. 

One  peculiarity  about  its  place  in  the  canon  is,  that  it  is  often 
grouped  with  the  books  of  Tobitli  and  Judith  to  form  a  sort  of 
triad.     So  in  Athanasius,  in  the  passage  referred  to,  and  in  the 


406  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

lists  of  the  Codex  Alexandrinus,  and  Codex  Vaticanus.  (See 
Diestel,  Geschichte  des  Alien  T.esiavients,  in  der  ChristUche 
Kirche,  Jena,  1869.) 

In  modern  times,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  book  has  received  a 
generous  share  of  doubt  and  denial.  As  to  its  historical  truth- 
fulness, some  have  accepted  it  entirely  just  as  it  stands.  Others 
have  accepted  the  substance,  as  more  or  less  true,  with  some 
additions  and  perversions.  Others  have  rejected  it  in  totum. 
The  spirit  and  tone  of  the  book  have  also  been  severely  criticised. 
Some  have  failed  to  find  any  religion  or  piety  in  it,  only  a  bitter, 
national  pride,  and  hatred  and  resentment  against  other  nationali- 
ties. 

A  modern  writer  says:  "The  facts  that  the  divine  name  does 
not  appear  in  it  (the  Book  of  Esther),  that  no  ascription  of  its 
rescue  to  Jehovah  is  anywhere  made,  and  that  the  intention  of 
the  author  is  plainly  not  so  much  to  exalt  a  delivering  providence 
as  to  commend  the  extra-biblical  feast  of  Purim,  all  evince  the 
low  moral  and  religious  tone  of  this  writing.  And  when,  to 
these  ethical  difficulties,  we  add  the  historical,  and  take  into 
account  the  history  of  its  canonizing,  we  can  only  regard  the 
Book  of  Esther  as  standing  upon  the  outermost  limits,  if  not 
wholly  outside,  of  Sacred  Scripture."  (G.  T.  Ladd,  Doctrine  of 
Sacred  Sc7'iptnre,  Vol.  I.,  p.  465.) 

We  trust  tliat  a  careful  and  unbiased  consideration  of  the  exposi- 
tion of  the  spirit,  aim,  and  tone  of  the  book,  and  of  the  place 
which  it  occupies  in  the  liistory  of  the  development  of  God's  king- 
dom, w'hicli  has  already  been  given  in  this  article,  will  be  suflS- 
cient  to  show  how  unfounded  such  a  criticism  is,  and  how  com- 
pletely it  misses  a  correct  understanding  of  the  scope  of  this  book. 
As  to  the  "narrow  Jewish  spirit  of  revenge  and  persecution" 
which  the  book  is  said  to  evince,  such  criticism  forgets  that  a 
royal  decree  had  gone  forth  that  the  Jews  were  to  be  massacred, 
that  this  decree  could  not  possibly  be  directly  rescinded,  and  that 
the  only  way  out  of  the  difficulty  and  danger  was  by  a  counter- 
decree,  permitting  and  encouraging  the  Jews  to  arm  themselves 
in  self-defence  and  be  the  first  to  attack. 

The  following  points  have  been  raised  against  it  on  historical 


X 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.  407 

grounds:  It  is  said  tliat  Esther  cannot  have  been  the  queen  of 
Ahasuerus,  or  Xerxes.  According  to  Herodotus  (vii.  114 ;  ix.  112), 
his  queen  during  these  years  was  Amestris,  a  superstitious  and 
cruel  woman,  who  cannot  possibly  be  identified  with  Esther.  But 
there  is  nothing  to  forlnd  the  supposition  that  Esther,  as  one  of 
the  royal  harem,  and  Amestris  (assuming  that  the  chronology  of 
Herodotus  is  correct)  were  both  queens  at  the  same  time,  but  in 
different  senses,  and  with  a  different  degree  of  rank  and  power 
and  favor.  It  is  not  true,  as  has  been  alleged,  that  the  position 
of  Esther  leaves  no  room  for  the  collateral  or  superior  position  of 
Amestris.  This  also  disposes  of  the  objection  that  the  king  was 
limited,  in  the  choice  of  a  queen,  to  one  of  the  seven  noble  fami- 
lies of  Persia. 

Another  objection  is  found  in  the  supposed  artificiality  of  the 
story.  It  seems  to  read  as  a  romance  rather  than  as  a  history. 
The  incidents  at  each  stage  seem  laid  so  as  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  next,  which  duly  follows  without  hitch  or  interruption.  The 
climax  of  difficulty  and  danger  for  the  Jews  is  reached,  from 
which,  by  an  unexpected  turn  of  events,  they  are  suddenly  re- 
leased. Such  criticism,  however,  is  purely  subjective.  It  would 
apply  with  equal  force  against  many  other  historical  narratives. 
Truth  is  often  stranger  than  fiction.  We  cannot  build  any  argu- 
ments upon  such  appearances.  Besides,  the  incidents  in  the  Book 
of  Esther  were  so  ordered,  and  the  events  recorded,  because  they 
were  typical.  That  is,  the}^  were  to  contain  a  lesson  for  all  time 
to  come. 

The  criticisms  of  Lagarde  are  well  known.  (See  Purim,  ein 
Beitrag  zur  Gesch.  der  Rel.  1887.)  He  denies  the  existence  of 
any  old  Persian  word  ji^wr  for  lot.  He  would  derive  the  Jewish 
festival,  with  its  name  Purim,  from  an  old  Persian  feast  in  honor 
of  the  dead,  called  Fordigan,  and  held  during  the  last  ten  days  of 
the  year.  That  tlie  Jews,  at  a  time  of  the  deepening  and  strength- 
ening of  their  Jewish  religious  exclusiveness,  should  have  taken 
and  adopted  from  a  foreign  nationality,  from  tliose  who  were 
hated  as  enemies  and  oppressors,  such  a  religious  feast,  would 
seem  to  me  absolutely  improbable,  even  if  there  were  no  other 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  supposition. 


408  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  QUARTERLY. 

The  dates  of  the  two  feasts  are  different.  P.urim  is  held  during 
two  days;  the  feast  of  the  dead  during  ten.  The  characters  of  the 
two  feasts  are  not  known  to  have  any  resemblance  to  each  other. 
The  alleged  similarity  of  names,  Fordigan  and  Parim,  is  not 
close  enough  to  warrant  any  supposition  "of-  kinship.  This  criti- 
cism, accordingly,  falls  to  the  ground. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  favor  of  the  historical  truthfulness  of 
the  book,  the  following  points  may  be  noted  ; 

The  knowledge  of  the  conditions  of  the  Persian  empire  and 
court  is  minute  and  accurate.  The  foreign  names  mentioned 
have  been  confirmed  as  good  Persians  forms.  {Ojypert  Annales 
de  la  Philosophie  Chretienne^  1864.)  The  account  of  tlie  char- 
acter of  Xerxes  is  confirmed  by  what  we  know  of  him  from  other 
sources.  (See  Herodotus^  Books  VII.  and  IX.)  The  geographical 
and  clironological  details  tally.  Herodotus  mentions  both  Indians 
and  Ethiopians  as  forming  part  of  the  army  of  Xerxes.  The 
interval  between  the  deposition  of  Vasliti  (third  year)  and  the 
choice  of  Esther  (seventh  year)  was  the  time  of  the  Grecian 
expedition..  Extensive  massacres  have,  unfortunately,  never  been 
unfamiliar  in  history.  The  existence  of  the  Purim  festival  itself 
is,  finally,  as  certain  a  corroboration  of  the  truthfulness  of  the 
narrative,  as  the  Fourth-of-July  celebrations  among  us  give  evi- 
dence of  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  that 
day. 

There  are  some  writers  who  gravely  maintain  that  the  very  aim 
and  purpose  of  the  Book  of  Esther  was  to  give  an  account  of  the 
origin  of  the  Purim  festival,  and  to  commend  its  observance. 
This  is  about  as  sensible  as  it  would  be  to  say  that  the  aim  of 
John  Fiske  in  writing  his  War  of  Independence  was  to  give  an 
account  of  the  origin  of  our  Fourth-of-July  celebrations.  The 
aim  of  the  book  is  not  to  give  an  account  of  the  commemorative 
feast,  but  rather  to  give  an  account  of  the  deliverance  which  the 
feast  commemorates.  That  the  feast  does  exist,  however,  and 
that  it  is  connected  by  an  unbroken,  unquestioned  tradition  with 
the  events  here  recorded,  is  strong  proof  of  the  truthfulness  of 
the  record. 

It  was  called   Purim,  as   is   alleged,  from   the  Persian  word 


X 


THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER,  409 

pui\  the  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew  gordl^  or  lut,  because  Haman 
used  the  lot  to  determine  the  day  on  which  the  massacre  was  to 
be  made.  No  Persian  word  yur^  lot,  has  been  found,  but  the  Neo- 
Persian  hdra^  time,  para,  piece,  and  hehr,  portion,  are  compared. 
The  deliverance,  and  consequently  its  subsequent  commemorative 
feast,  took  place  on  the  14th  and  15th  of  Adar.  The  Talmudic 
tract,  Megilla,  treats  of  this  feast.  It  mentions  that  its  introduc- 
tion met  with  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  in  Palestine. 
This  was  natural.  They  lived  in  what  they  considered  the 
metropolis,  the  headquarters  of  Judaism,  and  how  could  these 
men  on  the  fi-ontier,  these  backwoodsmen,  presume  to  impose 
upon  them  the  novelty  of  a  new  feast!  Eighty-five  elders,  and 
among  them  more  than  thirty  so-called  prophets,  protested 
against  it.  But* the  feast  had  come  to  stay.  In  2  Mace.  xv.  36, 
it  is  mentioned  as  the  day  of  Mordecai.  Some  have  found  a  ref- 
erence to  it  in  the  feast  of  the  Jews  mentioned  in  John  v.  1.  But 
others  regard  this  as  improbable.  With  the  decision  of  this  mat- 
ter, however,  is  connected  an  important  chronological  question 
touching  the  life  of  our  Lord.  Josephus  testifies  to  its  exist- 
ence in  his  time,     (Arch,  xi.  6,  13,) 

We  sum  up  in  the  following  conclusions:  There  is  no  good 
reason  for  doubting  the  historical  truthfulness  of  the  book.  That 
there  are  many  good  reasons  for  accepting  that  historical  truthful- 
ness. Individuals  have,  at  times,  questioned  its  place  in  the 
canon,  but  the  judgment  of  the  church  at  large  has  accepted  it. 
Its  religious  spirit  and  aim,  moreover,  are,  in  a  sense,  unique. 
It  teaches  the  continued  care  and  watchfulness  of  God  over  his 
chosen  covenant  people,  even  after  the  dispensation  of  the  pro- 
phets had  ceased.  It  teaches  that  the  protection  of  God,  so  far 
as  Judaism  is  concerned,  is  thenceforth  to  be  administered  by  an 
unseen  hand,  apart  from  the  ministration  of  prophets,  apart  from 
specific  revelations  and  signs,  simply  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
his  providence.  Hence  the  name  of  God  is  not  even  mentioned. 
It  is  meant  to  convey  this  lesson  primarily  to  Judaism,  as  a  dis- 
tinct chapter  or  division  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. 
Hence  it  is  not  quoted  in  the  New  Testament. 

A.  H.    HuiZINGA. 

New  Paiiz,  N.  F. 


DATE  DUE                           i 

mmmm 

iyV'P'8'''W*8?W«HlftSB 

-Af^iftfrii 

^w^^w 

1995 

GAYLORD 

/ 

PRINTED  IN  US    A 

Syracuse.   N 
Stockton.  Cc 


BS1375.8.H91 
The  book  of  Esther. 


Princeton  Theological  Semlnary-Speer  Library  bv<«^i«^ 


/iSltv: 


S^:'^^ 


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1    1012  00040  7850 


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